Forming a Team

Student members must be enrolled at an educational institution, but must not have been granted an undergraduate degree as of the start of the initial submission for the competition. High school students are also eligible and encouraged to participate, either as a team member on a college team or as a member of a team made up of all high school students. Universities may collaborate to field a combined team.

The required supervisor must be an employee, typically a faculty or staff member, at the team’s educational institution. The supervisor is encouraged to mentor the students leading up to the competition. During the competition, the supervisor is responsible for the team at all times and must be available 24 hours a day. While the supervisor is not allowed to provide technical assistance during the competition, he/she is encouraged to run for fuel for their team and cheer during the long nights.

Team members must agree to a number of safety rules for the event. These rules are intended to prevent injury to students and to prevent damage to the facility and the equipment.

Teams must be supported by one or more industry partners, often hardware vendors, who support team activities in part by providing system hardware for the duration of the competition. To ensure competitiveness of the sponsored team, sponsors should provide their team the system hardware prior to the competition for practice and preparation, ideally for one month or more.

Industry partners should provide the necessary technical assistance to ensure the proposed configuration remains under the power budget for the competition.